It’s the long-standing king of road bike sales in Australia, but Harley-Davidson may soon be overtaken by its Japanese rivals.
In the first three months of 2020, Harley-Davidson recorded 1359 sales in Australia, followed by Yamaha (1269), Honda (1016) and Kawasaki (944).
Much of Harley-Davidson’s recent sales success can be attributed to its LAMS-approved Street 500, which is currently Australia’s best selling cruiser model.
However, the best-selling road bike in 2020 is the Yamaha Tenere 700, followed by Kawasaki’s Ninja 400, with the Street 500 rounding the podium.
It is predicted that there will be a large dip in motorcycle sales in the coming months due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused a significant hit to the economy, and widespread loss of income.
This will likely see new-bike buyers spending less on motorcycles, causing a rise in sub-$20k bike sales.
While Harley-Davidson largely plays on the premium side of the market, its recently released Softail Standard may help it perform in this difficult climate.
Pitched as a “blank canvas”, the Standard checks in at just $21,495 plus on-road costs.
This was achieved by including few features from standard, however, the bike does boast Harley’s Milwaukee-Eight 107 V-twin engine, pre-load adjustable forks, disc brakes and spoked wheels measuring 19 inches (front) and 16 inches.
The new Yamaha Tenere 700 is a similiarly barebones prospect, allowing it to be priced from just $17,149 rideaway.
Honda’s CB125E is currently its best selling road bike, partly due to the increase in demand from food delivery workers.
Harley-Davidson is working on cutting costs after it reported a 45 per cent decline in profits in the first quarter of 2020.
Globally speaking, it appears that the American bikemaker has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Spencer has a keen eye for hard news, and does some of his best living on deadline day. He loves more than anything to travel on his motorcycle, and is adamant that Melbourne Bitter is a world-class lager. He also knows how to operate the big computery thing in the office. By night, Spencer plays guitar with Melbourne punk outfit LOUTS.
